"Balance
is perhaps the group's most hard-rocking effort to date, particularly
due to Evans' crunching electric guitar. At times he conjurs up
comparisons to Richie Blackmore; other times the virtuosity and
eclecticism of Lanny Cordolla surfaces. Evans' two instrumental
numbers, "Dance of the Sand Witches" and "Battle Mountain Breakdown,"
are scorching worldbeat rockers that needn't take a back seat to Jimmy
Page or any of the '70s guitar gods who dared to venture beyond basic
three-chord speed and cock rock."

"The standout story on "Balance" is new guitarist
Todd Evans. Many of the album's harder edges can be attributed to him,
and he pulls them off with fire and flair, and some tasty two-handed
fretboard technique. He also wrote "Dance Of The Sand Witches" and
"Battle Mountain Breakdown" for the album, two superb, energized
instrumentals that will leave fans of both folk and melodic metal
smiling and nodding. It is tempting to slap a "guitar hero" label on
him, but that would be a bit premature; this is, after all, his first
album with the band. But if he continues to grow as a player, we may be
talking about Evans' creativity and technique for years to come."